DENOUNCING PANOPTICISM:
Refusing the Frame, Tailoring Rebellion
Sculptural statement coat featuring exaggerated Western suiting lapels, raffia-inspired shoulder adornments, and cascading panels of repurposed muslin layered over voluminous trousers.
This look marks a turning point in the collection’s conversation about moving away from Western sartorial conformity and rather toward liberated forms of self-definition. The oversized lapels reference traditional tailoring and the social frameworks historically associated with professionalism, respectability, and social access, while the raffia-inspired shoulder details and cascading hip elements emerging from the coat’s split paneling disrupt these conventions through forms rooted in diasporic craft traditions. Their movement and expansion refuse silence, demanding visibility, presence, and space. Through the juxtaposition of tailoring, handcraft, and repurposed materials, the look questions who defines elegance, power, and legitimacy, transforming the garment into a site of resistance, remembrance, and reclamation.